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Sunday, June 19, 2011

NTPC loses 3 coal blocks due to failure in development

Sunday, 19 Jun 2011

PTI reported that the Indian government has cancelled five coal blocks allocated to power companies, including three to National Thermal Power Corporation due to their failure to develop them.

NTPC's three coal blocks Chhati Bariatu (South), Chatti Bariatu and Kerandari have been cancelled. They have an estimated production capacity of 26 million tonne per annum and total reserves of 836 million tonne.

A letter addressed to the chairman and managing director of NTPC said that "The Coal Ministry is of the view that allocatee company is not serious about development of the coal blocks and has, therefore, decided to deallocate coal blocks, allocated to NTPC.”

Reacting to the development, an NTPC official said there was no delay on the part of the company in developing these three blocks and the deallocation process lacked transparency. The company official said that "NTPC is committed for timely development of these blocks and has put all out efforts for early development of these coal blocks. The whole process and decision of deallocation is not at all transparent and needs a holistic and rational review.”

The official added that "If compared with the contemporary coal blocks, NTPC is far ahead from the others. Even, the blocks, adjoining to these coal blocks in North Karanpura coalfield, are much behind than NTPC's blocks and still, they are not in the deallocation list.”

Chatti Bariatu and Kerandari coal blocks in North Karanpura coalfields in Jharkhand were allocated to the public sector company NTPC in 2006 for captive use in their own specified end use projects. While Chatti Bariatu (South) coal block in Jharkhand was given to it in 2007.
(sourced from PTI)

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